Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) British Airways and (b) the Department for Transport regarding direct flights from Scotland.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has held discussions with British Airways, as well as other airlines, and the Department for Transport on a range of aviation matters including direct flights from Scotland.

Bridges

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has made in the last five years into the possibility of a second road bridge over the Forth in the Queensferry area.

Nicol Stephen: None.

Bridges

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any land has been purchased by any party for use for a second road bridge over the Forth in the Queensferry area and, if so, when it was purchased, how much land was purchased, how much the land cost and what it is currently being used for.

Nicol Stephen: In June 1995, 64 acres of land to the west of South Queensferry were purchased for a price of £6.62 million. The land has been used for the construction of a section of experimental road to explore sustainable construction techniques. The land generally remains open and is now tenanted for agricultural purposes on a seasonal lease.

Bridges

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations or reviews it (a) has conducted, (b) is conducting and (c) plans in relation to tolls on the Forth Road Bridge and the Tay Road Bridge.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed to reviewing existing bridge tolls in Scotland, including those at the Forth Road and Tay Road Bridges. I shall make an announcement on the terms of reference of the review in due course.

Bridges

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce discounts for regular users of the Tay Road Bridge.

Nicol Stephen: The level of tolls and any discounts offered are, in the first instance, a matter for the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board, which owns and operates the Tay Road Bridge.

Bridges

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase discounts for regular users of the Forth Road Bridge.

Nicol Stephen: The level of tolls and any discounts offered are, in the first instance, a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA), which owns and operates the Forth Road Bridge. FETA currently offers discounts to drivers of cars, light goods and heavy goods vehicles.

Carers

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting young carers.

Mr Tom McCabe: All the agencies involved should focus on early identification of young carers and protecting them from undertaking inappropriate caring roles. Effective multi-agency support should be available, where that is needed. To underpin this general approach, the Executive is undertaking a range of health and social care policies that are already impacting on young carers. These policies aim to improve the support and protection available to this particularly vulnerable group.

Dentistry

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider further support for NHS dentistry, particularly to improve the premises from which services are provided.

Mr Tom McCabe: On 23 January 2004 I invited NHS boards to bid for £1.5 million of capital funding to support NHS premises developments. I am please to announce today, that the support funding has been increased to £2.35 million. The successful projects are listed below:

  


NHS Board

Project 
  Details

Cost



Argyll and Clyde

Upgrade of Dental facilities 
  – Dykebar Hospital

£60,000



Ayrshire and Arran

Small scale adaptation of dental 
  facilities in 12 clinics/Health Centres/ community hospitals 
  to achieve DDA compliance

£140,000



Fife

New Dental Access Centre – 
  Kirkcaldy

£250,000



Forth Valley

New Integrated unscheduled 
  dental care facility – Falkirk

£60,000



Greater Glasgow

Redevelopment and extension 
  of dental surgery facilities within the new multi agency 
  Pollok project

£400,000



Redevelopment of dental surgery 
  facilities at Springburn Health Centre

£150,000



Grampian

New Dental Unit – Banff

£500,000



Highland

Multi-surgery facility – 
  Wick

£340,000



Lanarkshire

Coathill Hospital dental surgery 
  upgrade

£30,000



Orkney

Stromness Dental Centre

£261,000
(additional funding)



Shetland

Whalsay Health Centre redevelopment

£155,000



Total

£2.35 
  million



  In line with our recent dental consultation, the Executive is continuing to encourage NHS boards to consider innovative solutions to improve access that may provide templates for future developments in primary care dental services.

Enterprise

Christine May (Central Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on partnership working with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) and trade unions.

Lewis Macdonald: Since ministers signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the STUC in April 2002, there has been significant progress in the breadth and depth of partnership working between trade unions and Scottish Executive ministers and officials across a number of departments.

  Our work in partnership with the STUC, and trade unions generally, is reflected in several Partnership Agreement commitments covering areas such as the economy, skills and learning as well as specific proposals such as the Emergency Workers Bill.

Environment

Mark Ballard (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to protect the public against toxic chemicals in the environment.

Allan Wilson: The range of risks posed by toxic chemicals is diverse and demands a range of control measures. These include legislation to minimise public exposure to toxins through food, water and environmental sources, and support for the NHS boards and the emergency services in responding to incidents involving chemical exposures.

Freight

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service will be eligible for a waterborne freight grant and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Nicol Stephen: The primary aim of the waterborne freight grant (WFG) scheme is to encourage the development of new water freight routes which take lorries off roads by contributing to possible revenue short fall during the first three years of operation. In exceptional circumstances WFG may also be available where, without grant support, a service which currently takes lorries off our roads by transporting freight by water will cease. In both these circumstances applicants will be required to demonstrate that after a maximum of three years the service will be capable of operating without grant support.

  Detailed guidance is currently being developed and every application for grant will be considered on its merits in terms of eligibility for grant assistance.

Freight

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding will be available for individual waterborne freight grants and on what basis the level was selected.

Nicol Stephen: The actual level of funding support available for individual waterborne freight grants will depend on a number of factors including the projected cash flows of the proposed service (applicants will need to demonstrate that the proposed shipping route will be commercially viable after three years). In addition EC state aid approval was on the basis that there would be an upper limit of grant support of 30% of the operating costs together with maximum funding of €2 million over the three years of the shipping operation. These limits were based on those already in place for a similar scheme in operation within the EU.

Fuel Prices

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address the cost of fuel in rural Scotland as a result of recent world oil price increases and what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government on the issue.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2O-2383 on 20 May 2004, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/search.htm.

Further and Higher Education

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make an announcement on any possible relocation of Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and Scottish Further Education Funding Council posts.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is expected that an announcement will be made on this issue by the end of 2004.

General Practitioners

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in ensuring that the standard of medical cover is not affected by the new opt-out arrangement.

Malcolm Chisholm: The new General Medical Services contract provides a patient service guarantee which ensures that patients will continue to get access to at least the current range of primary medical services available.

  GP practices may opt-out of providing additional services and out-of-hours provision. The new contract stipulates that these services must meet the required independent standards to ensure a safe, quality service, whoever the provider may be.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has with regard to the impact of sleep disorders on accidents at work and on roads.

Malcolm Chisholm: We do not hold any specific data on the contribution made by sleep disorders to accidents in Scotland. However, it is well known that tiredness, whether induced by sleep disorders or other causes, can be a significant factor in accidents.

Hepatitis

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Skipton Fund will begin to process applications for ex-gratia payments for people who have hepatitis C through NHS treatment with blood and blood products.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have announced today that the Skipton Fund will process applications from 5 July. From today people can register their details on the Skipton Fund database to receive an application form and guidance on how the scheme will work.

  Within the next few days my officials will write to people who have already given their details to the Scottish Executive providing them with a pre-application form.

  Further information can be obtained by contacting the Skipton Fund on 01207 7233 0057 or by visiting the Skipton Fund website www.skiptonfund.org.

  A copy of the news release has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Reference Centre (Bib. number 32861).

Higher Education

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to secure the delivery of textile courses at Heriot-Watt University’s Borders Campus.

Mr Jim Wallace: Ministers are precluded by legislation from becoming involved in decisions which higher education institutions make concerning course provision, and by extension from decisions about where courses are taught. I am fully aware, however, of concerns surrounding Heriot-Watt University and the future of the School of Textiles and Design in the Borders. From my meeting last week on this issue with the Chief Executive of the Further and Higher Education Funding Councils, I am satisfied that the process is now in place to ensure that all relevant concerns are being taken on board by Heriot-Watt in the run-up to any final decision on their part.

Higher Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates from Scottish universities are living in Scotland (a) one year (b) five years and (c) 10 years after graduation.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not available. The only regularly collected source of annual data on graduate destinations is the Examination Results and First Destination Survey (FDS). This survey is run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and collects data six months after graduation on UK and other EU students who have successfully completed an higher education course at a UK higher education institution (HEI).

  In 2001-02, the latest year for which FDS data is available, Scotland was shown to be the location of main activity for an estimated 77% of graduates from Scottish HEIs

  Work is currently in hand to improve the provision of data on graduate destinations. The Scottish funding councils have initiated a longitudinal study of students across higher and further education which will track graduates one, three and five years after graduation. HESA are currently investigating the possibility of collecting data on graduate destinations two years after graduation for HEIs across the UK.

Higher Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates from universities outwith Scotland are living in Scotland (a) one year (b) five years and (c) 10 years after graduation.

Jim Wallace: The information requested is not available. The only regularly collected source of annual data on graduate destinations is the Examination Results and First Destination Survey (FDS). This survey is run by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and collects data six months after graduation on UK and other EU students who have successfully completed an higher education course at a UK higher education institution (HEI).

  In 2001-02, the latest year for which FDS data is available, Scotland was shown to be the location of main activity for an estimated 0.7% of graduates from HEIs in the rest of the UK. No information is available on students from HEIs outwith the UK.

  Work is currently in hand to improve the provision of data on graduate destinations. The Scottish Funding Councils have initiated a longitudinal study of students across higher and further education which will track graduates one, three and five years after graduation. HESA are currently investigating the possibility of collecting data on graduate destinations two years after graduation for HEIs across the UK.

Information Technology

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will adopt a policy of universal broadband coverage for the south of Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: Our policy aim is for pervasive, affordable broadband coverage across Scotland and we are making substantial progress. Some 82% of Scotland’s population now have access to broadband services and coverage is expected to reach around 95% by next summer.

  We intend to build on this success. Earlier this week I announced our intention to undertake a procurement exercise to supply broadband to those areas not expected to receive commercial services. The aim will be to ensure broadband access is delivered to every Scottish community by the end of 2005.

Learning Disabilities

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether targets set in The Same as you? for the closure of residential units that provide residential care for those with profound learning difficulties remain in place and, where such targets have not been met, whether they will be withdrawn.

Mr Tom McCabe: There is no aim in The same as you? for the closure of residential units or care homes as described in the question. The target in The same as you? is for the closure of long-stay hospital provision for people with learning difficulties by the end of 2005. We remain committed to that target, and are taking steps to ensure it is achieved.

  Where individuals have been assessed as able to live in the community, agreed and funded plans need to be in place so they can move out by the target date of end-2005.

Nursery Nurses

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Fife Council about the nursery nurses dispute.

Euan Robson: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Fife Council on a range of issues.

  I am pleased that nursery nurses in Fife returned to work last week and the children returned to their classes on Monday.

Police

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its initiatives require police officers to be diverted from front-line policing.

Cathy Jamieson: It is for Chief Constables to determine the deployment of their officers.

Post Office

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been paid out under the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas in each local authority area.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to reply. Her response is as follows:

  Payments to the value of £219,451.66 have been made. The table below shows the relationship between number of grants awarded, value of grants awarded and monies actually paid out by local authority area.

  

 Local Authority
 Total Number 
  of Grants Awarded
 Total Value 
  of Grants Offered
 Payments Made 
  as at 21 May 2004


 Dundee City Council
 3
 £124,166.00
 £ 66,796.00


 Glasgow City Council
 4
 £187,491.84
 £102,655.66


 Highland Council
 1
 £ 15,680.00
  


 Scottish Borders Council
 1
 £ 37,155.94
  


 Stirling Council
 1
 £ 50,000.00
 £ 50,000.00


 West Dunbartonshire Council
 1
 £ 44,918.40
  


 Totals
 11
 £459,412.18
 £219,451.66

Prison Service

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether drug and alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation facilities are available to all prisoners in Scottish Prison Service prisons.

Cathy Jamieson: All prisoners undergo a health care assessment on admission to custody to identify any health care needs or problems. If a prisoner reports that they have a drug or alcohol problem this will be noted in the health care records for further assessment by a doctor who will prescribe medication if this is considered appropriate. This can include medication for detoxification, stabilisation or maintenance.

  Prisons also offer a range of programmes and approved activities addressing alcohol and drug addiction problems and a number of agencies work in prisons providing support and advice to prisoners. Additionally all prisoners serving under four years can access the addictions services provided by prison staff and under contract to Cranstoun Drug Services and avail themselves of the transitional care arrangements which provide for support in the community for up to 12 weeks following release.

Prison Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34415 by Mr Jim Wallace on 31 March 2003, what system exists to ensure that the Scottish Prison Service is made aware of convictions in court that might incur performance points.

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33537 and S1W-34414 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 February and 31 March 2003 respectively, what information it has regarding the number of reports to the Procurator Fiscal in respect of offences of violence or other similar categories of offences arising from incidents at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  None.

Prison Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4525 by Cathy Jamieson on 16 December 2003, what equivalent training there is for staff at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS holds no information on these matters which are the responsibility of Premier Prison Services Ltd.

Promoting Scotland

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it is seeking a new logo for Scotland and whether it will instigate a public debate to seek suggestions on the issue.

Mr Andy Kerr: As Mr Lochhead knows from my previous answers, the Executive is considering ways to help achieve Partnership Agreement objectives by promoting Scotland overseas in a more effective way.

  This work involves many different elements, one of which will be a campaign to promote Scotland internationally, which the First Minister announced on 25 February. Visual imagery will be a part of this effort, but no decisions have yet been taken about the role a logo might play.

Public Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what sums allocated to Transport Initiatives Edinburgh will be spent on (a) the public inquiry into congestion charging and (b) administration prior to the tram lines being constructed.

Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any application has been made under the trans-European network grant scheme to provide rail links to ports, in particular from (a) the proposed Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line and (b) the main Edinburgh to Aberdeen line to the port of Rosyth.

Nicol Stephen: No application has been made.

Rail Network

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many airline passengers began or finished their rail journey at Glasgow Prestwick International Airport in the last year.

Nicol Stephen: Around 350,000 airline passengers arrived at or departed from Glasgow Prestwick International Airport by rail in the year to 31 March 2004.

Rail Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which parts of the current ScotRail franchise contract documentation are publicly available; which parts are not publicly available, expressed as a percentage of the total contract, and why; where the contract can be accessed and how, and what the position will be in respect of the public availability of the new contract.

Nicol Stephen: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) is required, under section 73 of the Railways Act 1993 to maintain a public register which must include copies of all franchise agreements. The SRA public register is kept at the SRA and may be viewed by appointment with the SRA Secretariat. Elements of the franchise agreement are removed as set out in section 71(2) of the Railways Act 1993. The percentage removed from each franchise agreement tends to be small and varies in each case.

  These arrangements apply to the current and the next franchise agreements.

Renewable Energy

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what rate of take-up there has been for the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative to date.

Lewis Macdonald: Seventy-five community projects have been awarded funding of around £1.9 million under the Scottish Community and Householder Initiative, of which 25 have been completed, and 60 awards amounting in total to £76,000 have been made to householders.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the 18% and 40% renewable electricity generation targets should be capable of meeting baseload demand.

Lewis Macdonald: We have not fixed milestones of this nature. Technologies such as biomass and marine, which can provide baseload or predictable output, and hydrogen fuel cells could play a key role in providing network stability. Work to progress these areas will be taken forward by our Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland.

Roads

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all highway capital projects (a) completed since 1999 and costing more than £1 million, showing the final cost of each project and (b) under construction with an estimated cost of more than £1 million, showing the estimated final cost of each project.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is as follows:

  Capital Trunk Road Projects Completed Since 1999

  


Projects Completed Since 1999

Estimated 
  Final Cost (£ Million)



A1 Bowerhouse-Spott

5.78



A1 Haddington-Dunbar

48.83



A1 Howburn-Houndwood

6.05



A1 Spott Road-Oswald Dean

4.81



A68 Soutra

1.87



A7 Hawick Traffic Relief Road

5.34



A720 Edinburgh City Bypass 
  (Phase 2)

7.87



A75 The Glen-Dumfries

10.69



A8 Baillieston-Newhouse Maintenance

31.36



A82 Base Camp Railway Bridge, 
  Fort William

2.04



A828 Creagan Bridge

5.42



A830 Arisaig-Kinsadel

13.4



A86 Rubha na Magach-Aberarder

3.21



A90 Forfar grade separation-Kirriemuir 
  and Glamis

5.28



A90 Inchmichael

7.03



A90 Inchture

5.66



A96 Newtongarry/Adamston climbing 
  lane

4.35



  Capital Trunk Road Projects Under Construction

  


Projects Under Construction

Estimated 
  Final Cost (£ Million)



A77 Turnberry Climbing Lane

2.30



A78 Ardrossan-Stevenston

39.95



A80 Auchenkilns junction improvement

28.65



A876 Kincardine Eastern Link 
  Road

15.02



A9 Loch Insh Phase 1 (Balavil 
  to Meadowside)

1.19



A9 Ralia to Nuide Farm

2.15



M77 Fenwick-Malletsheugh

84.00

Scottish Building Standards Agency

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where the Scottish Building Standards Agency will be located.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive has conducted a comprehensive review of locations across Scotland to assess their suitability for the new Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA). The review included scrutiny of business needs, socio-economic factors, property availability and transport links.

  Following this review, it has been agreed that Livingston will be the location for the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA) and the move will take place once suitable property has been secured. Until then, the SBSA will be based in Victoria Quay.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Gaelic

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S2W-7566 by Andrew Welsh on 13 May 2004, whether it still intends to develop a Gaelic policy as reported in the Parliament’s news releases 08/2002 and 042/2003.

Andrew Welsh (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): As I indicated in my answer of 13 May 2004, the Parliament is currently reviewing its policy on the use of languages, including Gaelic, and a report will be made to the SPCB shortly. I have nothing further to add at this stage.

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the present estimate is of losses arising from the failure of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited and whether this represents an increase from the total previously estimated.

George Reid: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30745 on 14 November 2002, and confirm that there has been no change to the previously reported cost to the project of £3.85 million.